Take your Hand in Mine
by thenandmshow
Summary: If I really didn't die that day...will he still love me?


I remember falling into a deep sleep, almost like i was never going to return. I remember feeling cold and numb. I remember Lulu's face as my eyes closed. I never thought i would see his face again. I never thought i'd be in his arms again. I guess i was wrong.

~Shirley's POV~

"Where am I?" She stumbled and struggled her way up and out of this lumpy, old bed. This was a place that Shirley didn't recognise, and deep down she was scared.

"Hello?!" She called out, hoping someone would answer. Wherever she was, it seemed almost rustic. After a quick survey of her surroundings, Shirley realised she was in some kind of tent, and this must've served for a makeshift hospital. People around her were covered in bandages, most slept, few lie awake and chatted. The man lying next to her was awake and Shirley leaned over and shook him in order to grab his attention.

"Excuse me! Can you tell me where i am?" He turned and gave her a shrug and looked away.

"That's peculiar, how would someone not know where they are? Judging by his injuries and the way he's bandaged, he has to have been here for a while."

"Are you sure you don't know?" Shirley cried out and he gave her a quick nod and turned away. It felt like no one was going to answer her. Shirley looked down at her body and the meticulously wrapped bandages around her abdomen and stomach.

"That's right, Rolo pointed the gun to my stomach and pulled the trigger." Shirley could still feel the bullet entering her digestive cavity over and over again, the same sensation sending shocks through her body.

"Lelouch..." Shirley mouthed his name, the young dark-haired Britannian with stunning amethyst eyes. Shirley wanted him here, after all, he was the last person she saw before she fell into Death's cold embrace. She was alive for a reason, but for what reason she didn't know.

"You're awake?" A man dressed in a long white coat walked over to her. He appeared to be a doctor.

"Where am i ?" Shirley blurted out again, demanding tone in her voice. She hoped that this man was going to give her the answer she demanded.

"This is a refugee camp for the Japanese. We've been hiding out from the Britannian army for quite some time. They haven't even tried looking for us out here."

"A refugee camp..." Shirley thought to herself.

"You were lucky we found you. If you had wandered any farther from where you were, you might have died." Shirley was completely unaware of what had transpired after her eyes had closed shut. In the blink of an eye, she could see everything that had happened.  
~~~

Shirley gave everything she had left in order to follow Lelouch. She felt her body slipping away, and yet she kept going as fast as she could. She knew she had died before his eyes, but she was unaware of the fact that she woke up again, and continued after Lelouch. He left her where she was, and didn't come back when she needed him.

"Lelouch!" Shirley fell to her knees and curled up into a ball. Blood was escaping out beyond her fingertips and she felt as there was nothing she could do. It was like she was trapped in the dark undertones of a demon's melody, reminiscent of the song My Immortal. Her eyes closed again and she slept for seemed like ages, only to wake up here in this refugee camp.

~Lelouch's POV~

Everyday he thought about what he had done. Shirley was gone now, and if he had only arrived minutes before, he would've been able to save her from the barrel of Rolo's gun. He might have been able to stop the bullet from entering her body, stop the bleeding.

I've tried so hard to tell myself that you're gone. But though you're still with me, i've been alone all along.

"Lelouch, you're being quiet again." Nunnally whispered, her eyes shut and head down, hands folded neatly in her lap.

"I'm sorry Nunnally." Lelouch walked over and stooped down beside her and took her hands in his.

"Were you thinking about Shirley again?" Lelouch was shocked by her question, but knew very well Nunnally could read him like an open book.

"Yes i was."

"You know her death wasn't your fault." Nunnally whispered in her quiet and sweet voice, wrapping their fingers together.

"I know." Lelouch stood and proceeded towards the door; it creaked softly.

"Lelouch," Nunnally whispered "Please don't do anything reckless today. You'd want to come back home, don't you?"

"I do."

Despite the fact that Lelouch was to pretend that Nunnally wasn't his true sister in order to protect her, he couldn't help but see her every once in awhile. Rolo would never be his brother, even though everyone believed so. Nunnally remembered him, and he tried his hardest to remember her; viceroy of Area 11 and a princess.

~Shirley's POV~

Shirley stayed awake late that night. Something deep down was urking her and she just couldn't shake it. Perhaps it was because she was still having recurring nightmares of her father's death, and that man they called Zero. She couldn't clearly make out his face, perhaps she wasn't meant to, but she wanted to remember. The one sensation she could clearly draw out from her memories was her fingers on the trigger. The metal on the gun was smooth under her fingertips and she wanted to pull, but for some reason couldn't. This was a question that needed to be answered, no matter what.

"Britannians!" A cry rang out from the slums, as well as the sound of gunshots. Shirley sat up with a start and ran out along with the others. Britannian soldiers ran forward, guns blazing and shots firing. Shirley ducked behind crates along with a few of the Japanese. People's screams carried on the wind and Shirley threw her hands over her ears. The shrieking was terrible, and the blood spatter worse. People were dying all around her and she needed to do something quickly. She stood and ran out after a few soldiers.

"This shouldn't be happening...Britannian or not, i need to stop this genocide!" Shirley ran as fast as she could despite her injuries and only ended up with a bullet to the arm. She fell down, the sensation of the bullet grazing her skin sending all to familiar memories back up into her mind's eye.

"Shirley, i Lelouch vi Britannia command you not to die!"

She shook her and kept her body down low between the walls around her. Bleeding again, she stayed where she was this time and paid witness to the death of many innocent civilians. She closed her eyes in hope something would come to save them.

~Lelouch's POV~

Helmet slipped over his face and long purple cape falling around him, Lelouch had arrived as Zero and spoke.

"Stop this at once!" His voice boomed as he spoke and he took a quick survey of the area. The Britannians wasted no time firing at him and Lelouch was able to dodge each and every bullet fired with great ease.

Who's gonna fight for what's right? Who's gonna help us survive? We're in the fight of our lives And we're not ready to die. Who's gonna fight for the weak? Who's gonna make 'em believe? I've got a hero, I've got a hero Living in me I'm gonna fight for what's right Today I'm speaking my mind And if it kills me tonight, I will be ready to die

Lelouch was able to pull his own gun and retaliate.

"It's Zero!" A few of the Japanese whispered next to Shirley and she looked up from behind the walls. He turned and saw his covered face, and he turned and saw her. Green eyes met purple as Lelouch stood in amazement.

"Shirley? There's no way she could possibly be..." Momentarily distracted, one of the Britannian soldiers fired and hit Lelouch in the chest and he fell backward.

~Shirley's POV~

'He fell!" She called out in amazement and stood up. Running forward for some unknown reason, Shiley positioned herself in front of Lelouch's fallen body. He struggled to sit up and confirm that it was her and not some kind of illusion.

"Leave him be! Can't you see he's just trying to help save innocent lives!" She cried out and stretched her arms out as wide as she could.

"Zero is a fugitive! We need to take him into Princess Nunnally as fast as we can."

"No! Just leave now! You haven't been able to capture Zero before and today will be no different." Shirley stooped down and picked up Lelouch's gun and aimed it again, just as she did before. This time, Zero was on the opposite side of her gun. She pulled the trigger this time and murdered a Britannian soldier and instead of revolting back as she would've done before, she aimed the gun at the next and killed each soldier, one after the other. After they all had fallen, she turned back towards Zero.

"Listen to me. Don't think that i had helped you because i support what you're doing. You killed my father, and i intend to avenge him myself." Shirley yanked the helmet off, only to reveal Lelouch on the other side of it. She stopped mid-action and her eyes opened wide in shock.

"Lelouch...?"

"Shirley." He smiled and she shook her head in disbelief.

"There's no way. There's no way!" She shoved her head in her hands and bawled, tears overflowing from her eyes. Lelouch sat up with all he could and wiped the tears from her eyes.

"I'm here now." For the first time in awhile, Lelouch was able to lean upward a plant a kiss on Shirley's lips.


End file.
